De Burgh was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles John Davison, MBE, a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily de Burgh, an Irish secretary. His maternal grandfather was Sir Eric de Burgh, a British Army officer who had been Chief of the General Staff in India during the Second World War. He took his mother's name, "de Burgh", when he began performing. His father had substantial farming interests, and Chris spent much of his early years in Malta, Nigeria and Zaire, as he, his mother and brother accompanied Colonel Davison on his diplomatic and engineering work.
The Davisons finally settled in Bargy Castle, County Wexford, Ireland, which was somewhat dilapidated at the time. It was a twelfth-century castle which Eric de Burgh bought in the 1960s. He converted it into a hotel, and the young Chris sang for the guests there.
After attending Marlborough College in Wiltshire, England, de Burgh went on to graduate from Trinity College, Dublin, with a Master of Arts degree in French, English and History.
Chris de Burgh signed his first contract with A&M Records in 1974, and supported Supertramp on their Crime of the Century tour, building himself a small fan base. His début album, Far Beyond These Castle Walls, was a folk-tinged stab at fantasy in the tradition of the Moody Blues. It failed to chart upon its release in late 1974. A few months later, he released a single called "Turning Round" from the album, released outside the UK and Ireland as "Flying". It failed to make an impression in the UK, but it stayed on top of the Brazilian charts for 17 weeks. This became a familiar pattern for the singer/songwriter, as every one of his 1970s albums failed to chart in the UK or US while they racked up big sales in continental European and South American countries.
In 1975 his second album, Spanish Train and Other Stories, was released. Whilst (again) not a huge commercial success, the album and tour expanded the fan base, with de Burgh starting to attract a cult following. Along with the epic title track, other fan favourite tracks from the album included "Patricia The Stripper" and "A Spaceman Came Travelling" (the latter released the following year as a single).
1977's third album, At the End of a Perfect Day, whilst well received and featuring both former Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks and later Fairport drummer Gerry Conway, failed to push de Burgh's career significantly, leading to the release of his fourth album Crusader in 1979. Crusader took a more electric direction, including guitar contributions from Ian Bairnson (formerly of Pilot), bass player David Paton (also of Pilot), and drummer Stuart Elliott (formerly of both Cockney Rebel and of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel), all of whom were also working, at the time, with Kate Bush. The album also featured Sky keyboard player Francis Monkman and Mike Moran. Whilst it attracted a significant number of new fans, Crusader still failed to break through in the UK and US. 1980's Eastern Wind also failed to build further on the (still cult) following in the major territories.
In 1981 de Burgh had his first UK chart entry with Best Moves, a collection culled from his early albums. It set the stage for 1982's Rupert Hine produced The Getaway, which reached number 30 in the UK charts and number 43 in the US, thanks to the eerie single "Don't Pay the Ferryman". Chris de Burgh's follow-up album, Man on the Line, also performed well, charting at 69 in the US and 11 in the UK.
Chris de Burgh had an across-the-board success with the ballad "The Lady in Red" in late 1986; the single became a number one hit in the UK (number three in America) and its accompanying album, Into the Light, reached number two in the UK (number 25 in the U.S.). That Christmas season, a re-release of de Burgh's 1976 Christmas song "A Spaceman Came Travelling" became a Top 40 hit in the UK. Flying Colours, his follow-up to Into the Light, entered the British charts at number one upon its 1988 release, yet it failed to make the American charts. De Burgh never hit the US charts again and his commercial fortunes began to slide slightly in Britain in the early 1990s, yet he retained a following around the world. This is mainly due to inactivity of his previous recording label A&M Records UK division in the U.S.
In 1997 de Burgh composed a song entitled "There's a New Star Up in Heaven Tonight", dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales. The song was released as a 100-copy limited edition and included on the compilations The Ultimate Collection (2000) and Now and Then (2009).
In 2007 a concert in Tehran was planned for mid-2008, together with local band Arian, which would have made Chris de Burgh the first western pop singer to perform in Iran since the 1979 revolution. However, the concert never went ahead because he had not been given permission by the Iranian authorities to perform in the country.
He was the first Western act to play in Lebanon after the Lebanese Civil War.
On 25 June 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Chris de Burgh among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Lady in Red
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've never seen you shine so bright, mhm-hmm
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance
And I have never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes
I have been blind
Is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side
And when you turned to me and smiled, you took my breath away
I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight
Lady in red
Is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
I never will forget the way you look tonight
The lady in red, the lady in red
The lady in red, my lady in red
I love you
The lyrics to Chris de Burgh's song The Lady in Red are a portrayal of a man who is dazzled by the beauty of a lady adorned in a red dress. The first verse expresses the man's awe as he sees the lady, who has never looked lovelier before. He has never seen her shining so bright, and there are so many men asking her to dance, hoping for a chance to woo her. He admits that he has been blind to the lady's beauty and expresses amazement at the highlights in her hair that catch his eyes.
The chorus sees the lady dancing with the man, cheek to cheek, with nobody around except them. He admits that he hardly knows the beauty by his side, but he wants to be there, where it is just him and her. He is taken aback by the lady's smile, which takes his breath away. The second verse is a continuation of the man's adoration for the lady in red. He proclaims that he has never seen her looking so gorgeous, and she is amazing. The song concludes with a repetition of the chorus, with the man professing his love for the lady in red, whom he will never forget.
Line by Line Meaning
I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
You look more beautiful than ever before
I've never seen you shine so bright, mhm-hmm
You radiate joy and happiness
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
Many people are drawn to you and want to be near you
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance
Others see you as a romantic prospect and are interested in being with you
And I have never seen that dress you're wearing
I've never seen you wear that particular dress before
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes
I'm noticing subtle details about your appearance
I have been blind
I haven't fully appreciated your beauty until now
The lady in red
Is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
We're dancing together, and even though we don't really know each other, I'm enjoying being near you and will always remember this moment
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
You look stunning tonight
You were amazing
You're incredibly impressive and wonderful
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side
Many people want to spend time with you and be around you
And when you turned to me and smiled, you took my breath away
Your smile is incredibly beautiful and moving
I have never had such a feeling
I'm experiencing a profound feeling of love and connection
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight
I'm feeling an intense and all-encompassing love for you tonight
I never will forget the way you look tonight
I'll always remember how beautiful you looked tonight
The lady in red, the lady in red
The lady in red, my lady in red
You're the woman in the red dress that everyone is talking about
I love you
I have deep feelings of love for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Tratore, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chris De Burgh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-qz2og2iw5o
my French wife who was dying of breast cancer came to me one afternoon in a red dress and as your song says she looked amazing and absolutely beautiful. She passed away in 1996 but everytime I hear your song I think her her and I still get emotional hearing it and I will never forget this wonderful that brings a tear to my eyes. Thank you for writting and singing probably the only song in my life that I can remember. I am now age 86........Thanks again
@danielacastro3443
Ela está olhando por você em algum lugar bem melhor ❤
@user-ew8gt6oq9u
Просто в этой песне очень много любви!
@user-um9jh2ds6u
Так быстротечно время ,но все что остается вечным это Любовь!
@celsorodrigues5155
😂😮😢😊😮😢 0:09
@celsorodrigues5155
@@user-um9jh2ds6u😊😅😮😢🎉😂❤5 0:59 😮🎉😢
@robertorrom8712
My lovely wife of 40 years just passed away. This was our song, whenever I heard it I would find her, take her in my arms and dance away. I miss you my love, you were my lady in red!
@davidr1620
My heart breaks for you. God bless you. Life is brilliantly wonderful beyond imagination, but it is also extremely cruel at times. It’s a universal fact almost everyone experiences at some point.
I’m truly sorry.
@wikip6891
Tak bardzo panu współczuję 😥, żona zawsze będzie blisko Pana..
@robertorrom8712
Thank you@@davidr1620